The Catholic Holy Mass in the Scriptures.

Introduction

When people say that the Mass is unscriptural and that Catholics are committing an abomination, I simply laugh. I laugh because it is not only wrong but even that statement does not anticipate the kind of response that any knowledgeable Catholic would give.

To put it nicely, the Mass is the only place where we read more passages at a time! Call you best prayer warrior, ask Him (or her) to pray for 24 hours and quote as many scripture passages as they can possibly remember and they still wouldn’t have quoted more passages than a simple Catholic who “casually” goes for Mass on a weekday. The following is a simple structure of the Mass and the scriptural references to what the priest and the congregation says.

Mass

INTRODUCTORY RITES

The Entrance procession occasioned by the Ringing of the Bell (Exod 28:33-35)

Sign of the Cross:

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:19;  cf. John 14:13-14;  Acts 2:21)

Liturgical Greeting:

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor 13:14)

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:2; Eph 1:2)

“The Lord be with you.” (2 Tim 4:22; cf. Matt 1:23; 28:20)

People’s Response:

“And with your spirit” (cf. Gal 6:18; 2 Tim 4:22)

Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling Holy Water (see Ezek 36:25; cf. Num 8:7a)

Penitential Act:

Intro: “Let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.” (cf. Ps 51:5)

“I confess to almighty God…” (cf. Lev 5:5; Neh 1:5-9; Dan 9:3-19; James 5:16)

“Have mercy on us, O Lord. / For we have sinned against you. / Show us, O Lord, your mercy. / And grant us your salvation.” (Ps 41:4)

“Lord, Have Mercy” (Matt 15:22;  17:15;  20:30-31; cf. Ps 123:3)

Gloria:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will” (Luke 2:14; cf. Rev 4:11; 5:11-14)

“We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you…” (Cf. Ps 148:13)

“Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son” (cf. Ps 2:7; John 1:14)

“Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world…” (cf. John 1:29)

Prayers concluded by “Amen” (Neh 8:6;  Ps 41:13; Rom 16:27;  Heb 13:20-21; Rev 7:16)

LITURGY OF THE WORD

Introductory/Concluding Dialogues

“A reading from the book/letter of…”

“The Word of the Lord” (1 Peter 1:25) – “Thanks be to God” (Rom 6:17; 2 Cor 9:15)

Acclamations before the Gospel:

“Alleluia” (many Psalms, esp. Ps 146-150;  Rev 19:1-6)

“Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!” (cf. Ps 24:7-10; 1 Thess 2:12; 2 Tim 4:18)

“Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus Christ!” (cf. Dan 4:34, 37; 1 Peter 1:7)

“Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!” (cf. Phil 1:11)

“A reading from the holy Gospel according to…” – “Glory to you, O Lord”

“The Gospel of the Lord” (Rom 16:25; Mark 1:1) – “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ”

Profession of Faith

“I believe…” (Mark 9:24; John 11:27; cf. John 14:1; 1 John 5:10)

General Intercessions:

“We pray to the Lord” (Exod 8:29-30; 10:17-18; Jer 42:2-4; Acts 8:22-24)

“Lord, hear our prayer” (2 Kings 20:2-5; Isa 38:2-5)

“Hail Mary” (Lk 1:28,42)

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Preparation of the Gifts

“Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation…” (cf. 1 Chron 29:10; Ps 72:18-19; 119:10; Luke 1:68)

“Blessed be God forever. ” (cf. Gen 14:20; Ps 66:20; 68:35)

Eucharistic Acclamations

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts…” (Isa 6:3;  Rev 4:8)

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Ps 118:26; Mark 11:9; Matt 21:9; Luke 19:38; John 12:13)

“Hosanna in the highest” (Mark 11:10; Matt 21:9; cf. Luke 19:38)

Words of Institution: (see Mark 14:22-24; Matt 26:26-28; cf. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25)

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you” (a combination of Mark 14:22; Matt 26:26; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24)

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (a combination of Mark 14:24; Matt 26:27b-28; cf. Luke 22:17, 20; 1 Cor 11:25)

“Do this in remembrance of me” (only Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24a, 25b)

Memorial Acclamations

1st Acclamation: “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.” (cf. 1 Cor 16:22)

2nd Acclamation: “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.” (cf. 1 Cor 11:26)

3rd Acclamation: “Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.” (cf. Matt 8:25; Luke 4:42; Rom 8:21).

Lord’s Prayer

“Our Father in heaven…” (Matt 6:9-13; cf. Luke 11:2-4; Mark 14:36; Gal 4:6)

Embolism: “Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil… as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)

Doxology: “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours…”

(found only in some biblical manuscripts after Matt 6:13; cf. Rev 4:11; 11:15; 1 Chron 29:11)

Greeting of Peace

“Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, ‘I leave you peace, my peace I give you'” (John 14:27)

“The peace of the Lord be with you always.” (cf. John 16:33; 20:19, 21, 26)

Breaking of the Bread:

“Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world…” (cf. John 1:29, 36; Rev 5:6-13; 22:1-3)

Preparation before Communion

“Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” (John 1:29, 36; Rev 19:9)

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” (Matt 8:8; cf. Luke 7:1-10)

Concluding Rite

Final Blessing (cf. Gen 28:3; Deut 14:29; v 6:23-27; Ps 29:11)

Dismissal:

“Go forth, the Mass is ended.”

“Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” (cf. Mark 16:15)

“Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” (cf. Ps 115:1; 1 Cor 10:31; 2 Thess 1:12)

“Go in peace.” (cf. Exod 4:18; Deut 10:11-13; Judg 18:6; 1 Sam 1:17; Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50; 8:48)

Conclusion

Many people either take the Mass for granted or condemn it outright from ignorance. If we take greater interest in knowing the truth, promoting it and cherishing it, we will treasure the Mass as God’s greatest gift to humanity. In the Mass God gives us Himself . Cherishing it, we will treasure the Mass as God’s greatest gift to humanity. In the Mass God gives us Himself.

And Susanna Rufi sang Hossana to her Heavenly Homeland from World Youth Day in Poland.

SHE LIVES NOW MOST BEAUTIFULLY WITH FELLOW ANGELS.

Pope Francis took a moment during his General Audience on Wednesday to remember Susanna Rufi, a 19-year-old girl from Rome who died of meningitis on her way home from World Youth Day.

She was taken to the hospital in Vienna on Sunday evening, and died the next morning.

“We remember with affection Susanna, the Roman girl of this diocese, who died soon after taking part in World Youth Day, while she was in Vienna,” – Pope Francis said – “May the Lord, who certainly welcomed her into Heaven, comfort her family and friends.”

Susanna had been active in the youth programme at St. Polycarp Parish in Rome, and been preparing for over a year for her trip to Krakow.

The Italian Bishops Conference has asked Italian pilgrims to World Youth Day to seek medical attention if they suffer any symptoms associated with meningitis.

Pope Francis prays for the repose of Susanna Rufi

Pope Francis’s address at World Youth Day Prayer Vigil & I was there.

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Mass for World Youth Day
Krakow, Campus Misericordiae, 31 July 2016

Dear young people, you have come to Krakow to meet Jesus. Today’s Gospel speaks to us of just such a meeting between Jesus and a man named Zacchaeus, in Jericho (cf. Lk 19:1-10). There Jesus does not simply preach or greet people; as the Evangelist tells us, he passed through the city (v. 1).  In other words, Jesus wants to draw near to us personally, to accompany our journey to its end, so that his life and our life can truly meet.

An amazing encounter then takes place, with Zacchaeus, the chief “publican” or tax collector. Zacchaeus was thus a wealthy collaborator of the hated Roman occupiers, someone who exploited his own people, someone who, because of his ill repute, could not even approach the Master. His encounter with Jesus changed his life, just as it has changed, and can daily still change, each of our lives.  But Zacchaeus had to face a number of obstacles in order to meet Jesus. At least three of these can also say something to us.

The first obstacle is smallness of stature. Zacchaeus couldn’t see the Master because he was little. Even today we can risk not getting close to Jesus because we don’t feel big enough, because we don’t think ourselves worthy. This is a great temptation; it has to do not only with self-esteem, but with faith itself.  For faith tells us that we are “children of God… that is what we are” (1 Jn 3:1). We have been created in God’s own image; Jesus has taken upon himself our humanity and his heart will never be separated from us; the Holy Spirit wants to dwell within us. We have been called to be happy for ever with God!

That is our real “stature”, our spiritual identity: we are God’s beloved children, always. So you can see that not to accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means not to recognize our deepest identity. It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil his dream for me. God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours makes him change his mind. As far as Jesus is concerned – as the Gospel shows – no one is unworthy of, or far from, his thoughts. No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important! God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess. In his eyes the clothes you wear or the kind of cell phone you use are of absolutely no concern. He doesn’t care whether you are stylish or not; he cares about you!  In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable.

At times in our lives, we aim lower rather than higher. At those times, it is good to realize that God remains faithful, even obstinate, in his love for us. The fact is, he loves us even more than we love ourselves. He believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He is always “cheering us on”; he is our biggest fan. He is there for us, waiting with patience and hope, even when we turn in on ourselves and brood over our troubles and past injuries. But such brooding is unworthy of our spiritual stature! It is a kind of virus infecting and blocking everything; it closes doors and prevents us from getting up and starting over.  God, on the other hand, is hopelessly hopeful!  He believes that we can always get up, and he hates to see us glum and gloomy. Because we are always his beloved sons and daughters. Let us be mindful of this at the dawn of each new day.  It will do us good to pray every morning: “Lord, I thank you for loving me; help me to be in love with my own life!” Not with my faults, that need to be corrected, but with life itself, which is a great gift, for it is a time to love and to be loved.

Zacchaeus faced a second obstacle in meeting Jesus: the paralysis of shame. We can imagine what was going on in his heart before he climbed that sycamore. It must have been quite a struggle – on one hand, a healthy curiosity and desire to know Jesus; on the other, the risk of appearing completely ridiculous. Zacchaeus was public figure, a man of power. He knew that, in trying to climb that tree, he would have become a laughingstock to all. 

Yet he mastered his shame, because the attraction of Jesus was more powerful. You know what happens when someone is so attractive that we fall in love with them: we end up ready to do things we would never have even thought of doing. Something similar took place in the heart of Zacchaeus, when he realized that Jesus was so important that he would do anything for him, since Jesus alone could pull him out of the mire of sin and discontent. The paralysis of shame did not have the upper hand. The Gospel tells us that Zacchaeus “ran ahead”, “climbed” the tree, and then, when Jesus called him, he “hurried down” (vv. 4, 6). He took a risk, he put his life on the line. For us too, this is the secret of joy: not to stifle a healthy curiosity, but to take a risk, because life is not meant to be tucked away. When it comes to Jesus, we cannot sit around waiting with arms folded; he offers us life – we can’t respond by thinking about it or “texting” a few words!

Dear young friends, don’t be ashamed to bring everything to the Lord in confession, especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins. He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace. Don’t be afraid to say “yes” to him with all your heart, to respond generously and to follow him! Don’t let your soul grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice. Say a firm “no” to the narcotic of success at any cost and the sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own comfort.

After his small stature and the paralysis of shame, there was a third obstacle that Zacchaeus had to face.  It was no longer an interior one, but was all around him. It was the grumbling of the crowd, who first blocked him and then criticized him: How could Jesus have entered his house, the house of a sinner!  How truly hard it is to welcome Jesus, how hard it is to accept a “God who is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4)! People will try to block you, to make you think that God is distant, rigid and insensitive, good to the good and bad to the bad. Instead, our heavenly Father “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Mt 5:45). He demands of us real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies. People may laugh at you because you believe in the gentle and unassuming power of mercy. But do not be afraid. Think of the motto of these days: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Mt 5:7). People may judge you to be dreamers, because you believe in a new humanity, one that rejects hatred between peoples, one that refuses to see borders as barriers and can cherish its own traditions without being self-centred or small-minded. Don’t be discouraged: with a smile and open arms, you proclaim hope and you are a blessing for our one human family, which here you represent so beautifully!

That day the crowd judged Zacchaeus; they looked him over, up and down. But Jesus did otherwise: he gazed up at him (v. 5). Jesus looks beyond the faults and sees the person. He does not halt before bygone evil, but sees future good. His gaze remains constant, even when it is not met; it seeks the way of unity and communion.  In no case does it halt at appearances, but looks to the heart. With this gaze of Jesus, you can help bring about another humanity, without looking for acknowledgement but seeking goodness for its own sake, content to maintain a pure heart and to fight peaceably for honesty and justice. Don’t stop at the surface of things; distrust the worldly cult of appearances, cosmetic attempts to improve our looks. Instead, “download” the best “link” of all, that of a heart which sees and transmits goodness without growing weary. The joy that you have freely received from God, freely give away (cf. Mt 10:8): so many people are waiting for it!

Finally let us listen to the words that Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus, which to be seem meant for us today: “Come down, for I must stay at your house today” (v. 5).  Jesus extends the same invitation to you: “I must stay at your house today”. We can say that World Youth Day begins today and continues tomorrow, in your homes, since that is where Jesus wants to meet you from now on. The Lord doesn’t want to remain in this beautiful city, or in cherished memories alone. He wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams. How greatly he desires that you bring all this to him in prayer! How much he hopes that, in all the “contacts” and “chats” of each day, pride of place be given to the golden thread of prayer! How much he wants his word to be able to speak to you day after day, so that you can make his Gospel your own, so that it can serve as a compass for you on the highways of life!
In asking to come to your house, Jesus calls you, as he did Zacchaeus, by name. Your name is precious to him. The name “Zacchaeus” would have made people back the think of the remembrance of God. Trust the memory of God: his memory is not a “hard disk” that “saves” and “archives” all our data, but a heart filled with tender compassion, one that finds joy in “erasing” in us every trace of evil. May we too now try to imitate the faithful memory of God and treasure the good things we have received in these days. In silence, let us remember this encounter, let us preserve the memory of the presence of God and his word, and let us listen once more to the voice of Jesus as he calls us by name. So let us now pray silently, remembering and thanking the Lord wanted us to be here and has come here to meet us.

                                          World Youth Day 2016 Kracow
      

World Youth Day (WYD) COMMENCES IN POLAND TODAY.

World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized every three (or sometimes, two) years by the Catholic Church. The next occasion, World Youth Day 2016, will be held 25–31 July 2016 in Kraków, Poland.

World Youth Day was initiated by Saint Pope John Paul II in 1985. For the first celebration of WYD in 1986, bishops all over the world were invited to schedule an annual youth event to be held every Palm Sunday in their dioceses.

It is celebrated at the diocesan level annually, and at the international level every two to three years at different locations. The 1995 World Youth Day closing Mass in the Philippines set a world record for the largest number of people gathered for a single religious event (with 5 million attendees)— a record surpassed when 6 million attended a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in the Philippines 20 years later in 2015.

Cultivating Broadmindedness for Positive Social Change

Cultivating Broadmindedness for Positive Social Change

Written by: Anthony C. Ajah PhD

 

Two days ago, I led a short reflection with past and present members of the Catholic Association of Postgraduate Students, University of Nigeria Nsukka. I titled the reflection: “The 21^st Century Christian Faith, Broadmindedness and Positive Agency.” This was a welcome reflection to a reunion with the theme “Proclaiming the Faith in the Contemporary Society.” I was so excited to underline the following words from the Address of Welcome by the current President of the Group: “The thrust behind this coming together are… (3) to form a network of educated and committed critical mass of Catholic Lay Faithful, that should be agents of positive changes.” That there is such a focus on having educated members of my Nigerian society; a focus at forming a network - not of ethnically and religiously biased, and therefore narrow-minded persons – but of critical persons willing to be agents of positive change, was for me so heart-warming. Those words gladdened my heart because mine is a society wherein even those considered to be learned discuss social issues from such narrow-minded perspectives [predominantly ethnic and religious] that I remain consistently worried about what such persons can contribute in large-scale discussions.

Today, I write my first LinkedIn Post, with a focus on ‘Broadmindedness’ and ‘Positive Social Change’ by broadminded social agents.

A social agent is a human being who can effect an action, and can be held responsible for the effect(s) of such an action. [This definition of an agent automatically excludes robots from the list of beings worth considering as social agents]. The actions of individual agents in every society are nothing but results of their judgments regarding one or several realities or aspects of their societies – including their judgments regarding fellow human beings.

I recall the very common story of some blind persons who went to ‘feel’ the elephant. Each of them came out of the experience with a terribly one-sided judgment of what an elephant is. For one [the person that touched the abdomen]: The elephant is a rough wall. For another [the person that touched the trunk]: The elephant is like a pipe. And so on. These are sample cases of myopia and narrow-minded judgments. What if each of those blind persons called on the others to share what their individual ‘perceptions’ were, and to attempt a description with better details about what an elephant is? The result would have been a fused horizon (Hans Georg Gadamer) which would have further resulted to a better description of what/how an elephant is.

Broadmindedness is a state of mind which enables an individual to assess any aspect of reality with focused attempt at objectivity. Broadmindedness, usually contrasted with narrow-mindedness, implies a willingness to assess a reality not based on a single perspective, but on as many perspectives as can be considered (or are available to the assessor) at the moment of assessment. This includes a willingness to listen to other people’s opinions; a willingness to imagine the possible justification for other people’s choice, action/action; a willingness to consider the possibility that their point(s) of view may be better [because more humane and life-enhancing] than mine; and a readiness to shift position in acceptance of the better [because more humane and life-enhancing] point of view. The idea of holding an agent responsible – say someone who was so angry with his girlfriend that he killed her – implies that there is a natural demand in human societies that every human being who has come of age and is sane, be broadminded. If this were not so, why should a person be punished for attempting to kill another, after all, in some of the cases, emotions and feelings of disappointment with the person being targeted might have been so heightened and reached a certain ‘unbearable’ limit?

Several factors can be heavily responsible for narrow-mindedness. Some of these are: utter ignorance (sometimes intentional, some other times not intentional) about the aspect of reality under consideration; ideological fanaticism; excessively emotional attachments to ethnic, religious, and party affiliations, and so on. The last three can, in many cases, even make a person very knowledgeable about something, to be unable (or refuse) to put into proper consideration and perspective, what he/she knows so well. On the other hand, broadmindedness can be cultivated just as narrow-mindedness can be intentionally sustained and projected in pursuit of self- or other-deception.

Cultivating broadmindedness requires: (a) acquiring proper and reasonably reliable knowledge about the aspect of reality under consideration; (b) realizing that there is nothing known to humans about any aspect of reality which is the complete and final knowledge; (c) realizing that fanaticism of whatever kind is a sign of large-scale ignorance about human nature and particularly human history; a sign of pride and therefore of emptiness, and is therefore irrational; (d) realizing that to reject any judgment about reality offered by another person simply on the ground that the other person is from another ethnic group, religious group, or political party, is an indication of lack of depth on the part of the person rejecting such a judgment.

Only the fusion of the experiences of each of the blind men who went to ‘feel’ the elephant would have led to a more reliable knowledge of the reality called the elephant. It is only based on a knowledge from fused perspectives that the elephant can be so well described, for a considerably reasonable action by these blind persons in relation to the elephant. Every social reality can be approached by various human beings from various perspectives, just like the blind persons approached the elephant from various perspectives. A broadened description as well as a broadminded judgment about any social reality are among the two tightly related primary conditions that make human actions to result to positive and life-enhancing changes in the society. This means, then, that a society where the citizens – by reasons of intentional ignorance, fanaticism, excessive and therefore irrational attachment to ethnic and party affiliations, and so on – are predominantly narrow-minded, there is the huge danger that the various groups in the society can rarely identify grounds for common interests. This further means that synergy is hardly possible from among the groups. Thus, large-scale social changes are impossible.

With specific reference to development in Africa, and Nigeria in particular, what can easily be noted is that: there is predominant narrowmindedness in development discourses, in policy considerations, in citizens-government expectations, and so on. Regarding the first: it is so easy to observe that in development discourses in relation to Africa, there is what can be described as a campaign for narrow-minded youths. This is seen in the fact that in South-East Nigeria, for example, while the political leaders, school administrators and teachers, and many other persons serving in public places, make fat personal money from those they claim to be representing, and from those who come to their schools and offices for one need or another, these same leaders, representatives, school administrators, and other public servants, make their youths [especially in their University lecture rooms) accept the argument that the single-story-answers to the problem of under-development in Africa/Nigeria is the manipulation by governments and companies from/in Europe and the America. One thing that this argument does is that it shifts the attention of the youths of countries like Nigeria – from holding their leaders to task, to blaming political leaders and companies [and finding ways to cheat citizens], from Europe and America.

Since the return of Democracy to Nigeria in 1999, one notices that in each administration, while the so called representatives for the various regions in the country are busy lavishing the resources meant for improving the lives of the people they claim they are representing, these representatives find ways to raise alarms about marginalization. Once they do this successfully, the citizens who they are supposed to represent are no longer able to carefully assess both the good-willed activities of whoever is the president, or the scandalous embezzlements by their representatives. As long as this remains the case, the attention of the youths is shifted to fighting a supposedly biased president who is marginalizing their region or states, while their representatives are very busy embezzling the resources meant for them.

To curb such ills like those just described, there is this urgent need for citizens in African countries, and specific ones like Nigeria, to gradually cultivate broadmindedness. The results will include: (a) a gradual abandonment of the old and necessarily sterile argument that the Western countries and companies [solely, and without our collaboration and the collaboration of our parents, uncles, and aunts] under-developed and are still under-developing us. It needs to be noted that each time any African child or scholar supports this argument, he/she is arguing that the human beings in the West are fundamentally superior to the human beings in Africa. The other positive results of cultivating broadminded are that: (b) there will also be an improved awareness of citizens of the specific ways their negative biases and narrow-mindedness inhibit them from carefully observing the several evident ways their supposed leaders are short-changing the well-being of the larger society for their immediate families and friends; (c) there will also be an improved awareness of the fact that the emergence of any political leader from a particular party  or ethnic group does not necessarily foreclose any possibility of the person coming up with well-meaning policies; (d) finally, there will, above all, be a gradual change of a very dangerous, development-impeding mind-set evident in (a) to (c) above, namely, the blame-pushing mindset.

Human beings are ‘supposed’ to be reason-guided agents. Proper reasoning requires – or in fact presupposes – broadmindedness. Broadmindedness highlights where the various human beings and societies have some common interests. It is the basis for more careful and reasoned social analysis. It is also a primary basis for a sense of responsibility [accepting blames for our actions or inactions] and synergy [resulting from the ability to go beyond our myopic and fanatic mindsets/interests] for the good of the greater number. Thus, if the human beings in societies like Nigeria really want to improve their wellbeing, there is the grave need that we develop broadmindedness for better social analysis, for better holding-to-task of our leaders, for any possibility of request for accountability from any political administration by the greater number of Nigerians, and so on. These last are the situations that gradually result to large-scale positive social change. And, they presuppose broadminded assessment of realities, including the actions of citizens and government, and citizen-government expectations. 

Image: Adding Value via Social Entrepreneurship to Create Positive Change

A Layman's Indepth Insight on The Holy Rosary: Jimbuoy Okoye - Akalanze Nimo.

My dear brethrens, 

  

How I wish I had another avenue to share my thoughts with my fellow Catholics alone.   This message is essentially, although not strictly, for staunch Catholics.   However, anonymous Catholics (i.e. those who easily get lost in the crowd or who readily get carried away by the whirlwind of religious fever ) as well as non-Catholics (most especially believers in Christ) may benefit from the message providing they read it with the open-mind and the Christian attitude it deserves.   In writing this very message,

I’m mindful of the fact that the sensibility of some readers may be somehow disturbed.   I wish to crave the indulgence of such readers.    Warning: Any attempt to understand the message while carrying any dogmatic baggage in one’s mind will be futile and most unrewarding.   Therefore, it’s better for one to off-load and free one’s mind of certain prejudices before reading any further or to delete this message right away.    

 

Now, let’s go over to the subject that has today critically caught the attention of the Oracle at Akalanze Court.   

 

Once again, October devotion is here with us.   Glory be to God and honour to Mary!   For centuries, the month of October has been known to be the month of the Holy Rosary.  

The Rosary is widely regarded as a Catholic prayer although many Anglicans use it and find it a great help to their spiritual life.   Some Catholics, in recent years, have abandoned it completely.   They now wish to pray in a different way.   The Church, I understand, does not impose the Rosary on anyone.   We are free to say it or choose other forms of prayer.   While it is part of our popular Catholic tradition, it is not the central part of the practice of our faith.   Catholics are

bound to honour Mary but the prayers used in doing this are never imposed.   Yet the Rosary is now so much a part of our heritage that it could be rightly called an heirloom.   An heirloom is something precious that is handed down in a family from one generation to the next.   They cannot be discarded or allowed to rot just like that.   So it is with the Holy Rosary.   Go and ask any serious, practising Catholic around you.  The Rosary  is precious to all devoted Catholics.   They cherish it and they always want to use it and be spiritually enriched by it.   But it is not enough to recite it; we must pray it well for it to produce the desired results.   Those who pray the Rosary properly can reach the very depths of spiritual awakening.   The Rosary can be highly gratifying and

edifying to those who have discovered the hidden treasure it represents.   It is not just a Marian prayer but also very much a Christ-centred (or Christological) prayer.   Those who pray the Rosary well will automatically grow in knowledge and love of Christ.   This is true because the Rosary is profoundly rooted in the divine words of God as clearly enunciated in the Bible. 

  

Consider the words used.   The “Our Father” is a biblical prayer taken from Mt. 6: 9-13.   It is a formula that sums up our whole Christian life.   We could spend the whole prayer period just reciting the Lord’s Prayer once slowly and reflectively.   Likewise, the “Hail Mary” is a beautiful, simple, and powerful prayer.   It comes straight from the biblical accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation.   Every time we recite it, we are one with Mary in glorifying God by total, joyful, and trusting surrender to His divine will.   The second part of the prayer is a simple petition to our Mother Mary to intercede for us at the two most important occasions of our life, namely, now and at the crucial

time of our death.   The immense value of Mary’s intercession particularly when we’re dying will become clearer to us when we recall that it is appointed unto man to die and after death comes judgement.   Obviously, Mary’s intercession is for this ultimate judgement to be tempered with divine mercy.   Otherwise, I wonder how many of us will make it to heaven with all our numerous shortcomings and inherent encumbrances despite the fact that Jesus Christ Himself had paid dearly for our transgressions.  

  

After asking Mary to intercede for us, we then add the “Glory be to the Father …” which is another excellent way to pay tribute to the Holy Trinity in one God.   These three prayers (“Our Father”, “Hail Mary”, and “Glory be to the Father”) are strikingly extraordinary and potent prayers on their own.   Their efficacy when combined together as in the Holy Rosary is better imagined than explained.    We are encouraged to pray them slowly and meditatively from time to time.   However, when we pray the Rosary, we are supposed to be meditating more on the mysteries it portrays than on the words used so that we can imitate what they contain and, at the end, obtain what they promise.   Therefore, as we begin

the prayer, we are expected to pull our thoughts together and focus our minds on the circumstances of the birth of Christ and on the significance of His mission/ministry while bodily here on earth.   We are also supposed to concentrate our attention on the level of illumination His lifestyle, teachings, and proclamations threw upon the Kingdom of God as well as on Christ’s sorrowful experiences in the course of His vicarious suffering/death on the Cross of Calvary. 

  

At the commencement of the Rosary, we are expected to ask for the grace to pray it soberly and with sufficient interest in both the profound blessings it guarantees and the unparalleled love or the inexplicable nature of God it so distinctively spreads before us.   The Rosary achieves this special support for the growth of our spirituality by taking our minds down the memory lane while succinctly presenting the biography of the only begotten Son of God as detailed in the joyful account of Christ’s birth, the enlightening story of His accomplishments, the sorrowful mystery of His passion, and the glorious saga of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.   The introductory prayers are quite appropriate and necessary to prepare our body and soul for the great spiritual

exercise. 

  

At the next stage of the Rosary, it is strongly suggested that before saying each “decade” of the chaplet, we pause for a moment and focus our minds on the particular mystery at hand.   If we have a pictorial representation of that mystery, it will help to engage our spirit and keep us focused.   We are expected to think deeply, conjure up the scene of that particular biblical incident being recounted, and then enter into it in our minds.   The Rosary is simply a spiritual engagement session with the Holy Family of Nazareth and, by extension, with God Almighty Himself.   True!   It’s all about being with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; sharing with them the joyful, the sorrowful, the glorious, and the luminous moments of our life and existence.   We need to

know how best to savour the special grace attached to each of the uncertainties embedded in both the opportunities and the challenges of our own lives and times.   For example, when we pray the first “Joyful Mystery”, our minds should be focused on the angel Gabriel speaking to Mary.   We pause for a moment, listen to Her response and note Her humility.   Accordingly, we pray for the grace to be able to listen to God and obey His command as Mary did.   Then we proceed to recite our Lord’s Prayer, the ten “Hail Mary”, and the “Glory be …” in a steady, calm, and rhythmic manner.   These prayers are collectively a kind of mantra that soothes our spiritual nerves so that God can take over our lives and control everything including the humanly uncontrollable aspects.   Gradually, the picture becomes part of us.   Our minds

become greatly influenced by Mary’s examples and precepts and we begin to emulate Her deeds and abide by Her words just as the biblical servants did during the celebrated wedding at Cana where Jesus performed His first ever miracle when water was turned into wine.   What a wonderful way to put into practice what the Bible teaches us. 

  

At the end of each “decade of the Rosary”, the invocation our Lady gave the children at Fatima is recited: “ O Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, and lead all souls to heaven especially those who are in most need of your mercy .”   Nothing else can capture more appropriately the acknowledgement of our sinfulness and the exigent need for divine forgiveness of our incessant wrongdoings as mere mortals. 

  

It only takes approximately less than half an hour to say the Rosary prayerfully well.   When it becomes a habit or a daily routine, it can truly transform our lives for the better.   When this happens, Christ’s thoughts will become our thoughts, Christ’s ways will become our ways, and gradually God’s purpose will continue to prevail in our lives with little or no additional effort of our own.   The Rosary is a very useful and suitable family prayer.   Children who learn it in the bosom of their family carry a spiritual weapon with them, which will protect and guide them throughout their lives.   Some people feel that the Rosary is too easy and too boring to be of any efficacy.   They want to meditate directly on the

Bible.   But there is no contradiction between the Rosary and the Bible.   The central themes of the Bible form the mysteries of the Rosary.   Nothing more; nothing less!   Again, some people prefer to sing praises to God instead of praying the Rosary.   But there is nothing wrong in singing hymns while praying the Rosary.   So, we can start the Rosary with a hymn and end with another hymn.   Better still, we can sing a hymn in-between the “decades”.   However, we are advised never to allow singing to adulterate the quality, diminish the value, or break the steady rhythm of the powerful Catholic traditional prayer formula called the Holy Rosary. 

  

Henceforth (and mainly during this October devotion), let’s strive to cultivate the good habit of properly praying the Holy Rosary very often.   And soon afterward, our lives will surely not be the same again.   Something new, something good, something positive, and something great is bound to happen in our lives.   When we trust the Rosary and taste the Rosary, we’ll certainly see instantly that the Rosary is a veritable resource for spiritual empowerment as well as an invaluable tool for harvesting bountiful blessings and divine mercies.   And it is also a weapon we can use effectively to protect ourselves from all dangers and harmful influences.   

The Holy Rosary is, indeed, one peculiar habit that is worth acquiring and inculcating in our young ones.  Believe me! 

  

I sincerely salute you all for finding the time to read this heavenly-inspired message.   Glory be to Jesus!  And honour to Mary!!  Bye for now!!!  

With much love, 

Jimbuoy Okoye - Akalanze Nimo. 

WISE WORDS FROM A GREAT THINKER AND OBSERVER!

*WISE WORDS FROM A GREAT THINKER AND OBSERVER!!*

*Buffalos kill 7 people every year.*

*Lions kill 500 people every year.*

*Hippos kill 800 people every year.*

*Spiders kill 5000 people every year.*

*Scorpions kill 7000 people every year.*

*Snakes kill 10000 people every year.*

*And then, surprisingly,*

*Mosquitoes kill 2.7 million people every year. Yes, the smallest are the deadliest!*

*Small 'sins', hardly noticed by many, are the most deadly to your spiritual life.*

*Avoid excuses for not praying and allotting few moments of your day to your Creator.*

*Sins of omission are just as deadly as sins of commission.*

*Gossiping and small lies, are committed more frequently and are deadly.*

*Mind those little compromises that you do daily. They are the ones that will bring your downfall.*

*Successful people have two things on their lips, "Smile and silence".*

*Smile can solve problems, while*

*Silence can avoid problems.*

*Sugar and salt may be mixed together*

*but ants reject the salt and carry away only the sugar.*

*Select the right people in life and make your life better and sweeter.*

*If you failed to achieve your dreams, change your ways not your Creator.*

*Remember, trees change their leaves, not their roots.*

*You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.*

*Haters will see you walking on water and say it's because you can't swim.*

*Even if you dance on water, Your enemies will accuse you of raising dust.*

*Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands.*

*Remember Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.*